


The Dragon in the Meadow

by Supertights



Category: A Lion in the Meadow - Margaret Mahy
Genre: Be The First Writing Challenge, Dragons, Fairy Tale Elements, Families of Choice, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Love, Magic, Mother-Son Relationship, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-29 10:01:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6370456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Supertights/pseuds/Supertights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time, they were just young fools in love, but no one lives happily ever after, not when a curse is involved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dragon in the Meadow

**Author's Note:**

> A fanfiction inspired by Margaret Mahy’s picture book for children, A Lion in the Meadow. This is written for the Be The First writing challenge.

"And then the unicorns laughed and danced, and they ate the forbidden apples forgetting the shepherds warning." The mother tucked the boy into bed and kissed his forehead. "It's late. Goodnight, little boy," she said, smoothing down his wild hair. "You've had a busy day. Sleep well."

"Did they live happily ever after, Mother?" he asked under his breath, mostly asleep.

She busied herself, picking up clothes and toys from the floor. "Hmmm, the apples were cursed and the unicorns ran day after day, never stopping, following the sun until they could run no more and fell to the earth. Now they are sleeping. Just as you should be, little boy."

"Doesn't sound happy." The boy made a face but settled under the covers. 

The mother turned off his lamp, leaving a simple night light to illuminate the dark room; she waited until his breaths slowed and deepened.

The meadow lion lay alongside the small bed, golden eyes half-closed, watching her watch the boy. "You smell like magic," it said slowly. "Are you a witch?"

"No, not a witch," replied the mother sharply, then sighing she added more kindly, "Ah, lion, I am sorry. It was nearly disaster today. My attention slipped but for a moment and I summoned the dragon." She picked up an old hairbrush and knelt beside the lion. "May I?" She asked, the lion nodded and she began to brush the grasses and leaves from its mane in long sweeping gentle strokes. "Did my boy call you into being?"

"I do not know. I heard a calling and sprang from the very meadow that the dragon now abides in but I was already there, lying beneath all things, waiting, dreaming. Not this shape exactly." The lion shivered. "The dragon-- it frightens me but it is also familiar. I feel a kinship to it."

They glanced as one out the window; a yellow haze lit the night sky. The mother's head fell in despair.

"I angered it greatly once upon a time, I think," she said finally, setting aside the brush. She dragged her fingers through her own long hair, pulling out loose strands that grew thick and bright in her hands, becoming red and gold ribbons. The mother laid them across her knees and blew a warm breath across her palms; small orange and pink roses grew on dark green vines with black thorns from the lines in her skin. "I was be-spelled by a clever but wicked man."

"Clever ones are not always the worthiest, treasure comes to them too easily; they do not know how to value such things," said the lion gently, then flared its nostrils, inhaling deeply. "Strange, I do not smell an adult man here."

She was quiet for a time, braiding ribbons and flowers into the lion’s great mane, plucking any thorns and setting them aside. "It is how you said, I was a treasure, no more." The mother looked at her son. "His father is long dead." She closed her eyes and rested against the lions thick pelt.

 

_ The Princess could not remember the exact words of the spell but it spoke of true love and dark transformation. Many parents caged their cursed children but her own mother never denied her a life; for true love is rare, and not a one in her kingdom believed she would find it so young.  _

_ Find it she did and the curse delivered its sting soon after.  _ _ Her skin remained as pale as pearls, from her head hair grew long and heavy, trailing down her back and pooling at her feet like fire, her eyes still flashed a venomous shade of green though. None dared stare too long for it was rumoured that her magic had doubled over night and murder was on her mind for the curse had driven her insane. _

_ Her mother, the Queen of Air, dragged a tower from the bowels of the earth, tearing down half a mountain to build a spire of shining white and as tall as the clouds, to remind her precious child of what she had lost. Beneath the wispy clouds though, something flew; angry and hungry, always just out of sight. The Princess recognised her true love, never straying from her side, loyal to the end. _

_In the tower she remained then; young, unattainable, and once her fury passed-- broken. Her story fell into history; she was just another cursed girl in a tower, surrounded by the bones of those who came to save her from the beast that held her hostage. The_ _man who finally tore her from her home, a rogue not a prince, couldn't have known the consequences of stealing her away but nor would he have cared. The tower crumbled and fell as she was dragged away screaming._

_ The Princess returned as quickly as she could, hands dripping blood, but her true love was wounded; crushed and dying in the ruins of the fallen tower. She pressed herself to the broken and bleeding body and called forth her power. It crawled out of her skin covering them both in a fine mesh of protective gold. _

_ The dragon looked upon her with despair; she was with child. "Did you make him suffer?" It asked with no strength for more than a whisper. _

_"I did," she replied fiercely, eyes blind with tears. "Damn this curse!"_ _Settling with a sigh, the dragon began to pass from the world but she held on tightly, binding it to her. "_ _My love, don't leave me, I was a fool."_

 _"You are my heart," it replied with one last breath, falling into a deep sleep instead of death. T_ _he Princess closed her eyes and clove to_ _the great body, the child slept within her unchanging. All three dreamed; the Princess of a time when the curse was broken, of flying high above everything once more, she dreamed of other children in many forms and all called her "Mother."_

_ Time passed and the wind blew earth to cover them, vines and grass grew vigorously, and many living things took shelter above. The world changed, her own mother, her people, all disappeared from the world. She felt them leave, not at once but gradually. She was not sad to feel them go. _

_ One day her child spoke. "I tire of this endless dream time, Mother," he said sadly. "It is all I have known but-- I also know there is more than this." _

_ The Princess considered the child then as she had not before and forced herself to wake. She called forth a shelter from the ruins of the old tower and as the skies darkened above her, magic raced from her body, building a home not out of place in the world. Strange words filled her mind, strange words for a stranger world. She built a path that led to a driveway next to a mail box on the edge of a road. In the distance, she could see the lights of a city, unnatural and sulphurous. _

_ A storm raged as she gave birth, bringing her son out of the dream at dawn, just as he had begged of her. His tiny face and curious eyes tried to see everything at once from her arms. "Soon enough, little boy," she whispered. _

_ He grew like a weed, which is to say, he was a babe to a boy overnight. It suited the Princess though, he would be a young man with a few more sleeps. _

_ The other one came soon after. _

 

The mother opened her eyes and stretched, she’d had enough of sleep. The lion slumbered on, soft snores punctuating each apple scented breath. She rose and kissed her boy once more; he whispered something but she could not make out the words.

The world was dark and full of promise as she stepped from the house and walked the path barefoot to the meadow gate. "My love," she called towards the deepening glow. "Was it too soon? Do your wounds still pain you?"

The dragon came over the rise towards her swiftly, it stood much taller and wider than when it had fallen asleep. Rosy with fury and blowing steam, sparks flew from its quivering nostrils. "Who speaks to me this way?" Then more softly as it recognised her. "No, my heart-- I was surprised by the summoning is all. I could feel you all around but not see you." The long grass parted around the vast body. "The child is well?"

"Yes, he sleeps despite dragging me from the dream, he still clings to it himself. This is his second true night in the world and tomorrow I believe he will be a young man." She clambered over the gate, almost falling against the dragon, clumsy in her haste; straightening up to trace the great face with her fingers. "Oh how I have missed you."

The dragon lowered its head to her embrace. "And I you."

"Mother?" Her son stood tense at the meadow gate, taller and leaner in his teenage years now, his voice trembling between boy and man; the child of her body. The lion stood beside him, resplendent with ribbons and flowers though it’s mane; the child of her soul. "Do you know the matchbox dragon?"

"I do, little boy," she replied, watching him closely. "We have known each other forever."

The youth relaxed and yawned, covering his mouth with an apologetic hand but not before she had seen his sharp teeth. "I woke but couldn't find you. I wanted to tell you about my dream," he said.

"Back to bed, I’ll be along soon. You can tell me about your dream and then I'll tell you a new story in return." She blew him a kiss and he pretended to catch it, laughing. With the lion loping beside him, her boys ran back into the house. The mother turned to her dragon and said, "Come, my heart, listen outside the window; I will open it so that we can all be together this one time." She led the way, padding back down towards the house.

"You will tell them of the curse then? I doubt the boy will believe it more than a story," said the dragon. It stepped over the fence wire delicately, following her down the path. "A lion," it mused. "Who can anticipate how your offspring will appear when you dreamed them into life."

"Not I," replied the mother. "Not I."


End file.
